The invention relates to vehicle foot pedal actuators, and particularly to a vehicle foot pedal actuator adapted to be easily and quickly installed in a vehicle for actuating a foot pedal from substantially any position about the vehicle. The invention also encompasses methods for remotely actuating a vehicle foot pedal.
Many vehicle repair or maintenance operations require a mechanic or technician to observe the operation of a part or to perform an operation on a part that is located at some extremity of the vehicle while a vehicle foot pedal is simultaneously actuated. For example, in brake repair or maintenance, it is sometimes necessary to operate the brake shoe or pad to check for proper movement or binding. Also, the new anti-lock brake modules and valves require reading resistances under the vehicle while the brake pedal is depressed. Testing brake light wiring requires that the brake light be observed or a current in the brake wire tested while the brake pedal is depressed. Furthermore, hydraulic brake lines are often bled of air by repetitively pumping the brake pedal with the line bleeder valve open until all air is removed. Beyond the braking system, clutch mechanism operation can only be checked while the clutch pedal is depressed and released.
In one common method of actuating a vehicle pedal during maintenance or repair operations, a second worker sits in the vehicle and operates the particular pedal at the directions of the technician or mechanic who observes or performs the particular repair function outside of the vehicle passenger compartment. This common approach, however, results in increased labor costs and may be time consuming, particularly when the vehicle is elevated on a rack and must be lowered in order for the pedal operator to enter the vehicle.
In addition to simply having an extra worker actuate the desired pedal, a number of pedal actuating devices have been devised. U.S. Pat. No. 1,907,835 to LANGBEIN is directed to one brake operating device. The LANGBEIN device includes an elongated pneumatic cylinder adapted to be positioned between the brake pedal and the vehicle driver's seat. The device is adapted to be extended by the application of a controlled fluid pressure to the pneumatic cylinder but relies on the return spring of the brake pedal to return the pedal to its normal position.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,464,263 to OMANDAN is directed to another testing device for mechanical brakes. Similar to the LANGBEIN device, the testing device disclosed by OMANDAN uses fluid (air) pressure to extend a piston member so as to depress a brake pedal, but again relies on the brake pedal return spring for returning the brake pedal to its normal position. OMANDAN also discloses a valve selector unit for remotely controlling the application of air pressure to the pneumatic cylinder and piston device.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,662,593 to PIRRELLO ET AL. is directed to an apparatus for simultaneously actuating vehicle accelerator and brake pedals for test purposes. The disclosed device includes a pneumatic piston and cylinder arrangement for actuating the brake pedal, with a spring for biasing the cylinder away from the pedal. The PIRRELLO ET AL. device also includes an electric motor driven actuator for depressing the vehicle accelerator pedal. However, the disclosed device requires a separate test stand that must be mounted in the vehicle, making the device difficult to install and ill-suited for maintenance and repair applications.